Sikhs in the northern
Indian state of Punjab have theatrical protests, compulsory strikes and blocked
roads in several towns and cities in the past week.
The
spark for the present bout of protests came after a torn-up copy of Sri Guru
Granth Sahib - Sikhism's holy book - was found in the village of Bargari, near
Kot Kapura in Faridkot district.
The
alleged violation of the holy book angered many who came out to protest in
Behbal Kalan, a nearby village, last Wednesday.
As
tempers soared, police force opened fire. They say they shot in the air, but 2
protesters were killed and many of others wounded.
The
killings have further angered Sikh population members who have taken to
blocking highways and bridges, demanding action against those who they say dishonored
the holy book.
The
protesters have said they will carry on the blockade for 3 hours every day for
another week.
Are all protests about
one incident?
No,
in the past week there have been at least 5 reports of copies of the Guru
Granth Sahib being desecrated.
Torn-up
copies of the holy book have been found in different areas of the state - at Jandiala
village in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Tarn Taran near Amritsar, Kot Kapura and
Gurusar Jalal village in Bathinda district in the south of the state.
Police
force says they are investigating all the cases and claim to have some leads.
Dozens
of people have been questioned and at least 2 people have been arrested in
connection with the desecrations. Police said on 19 October that another 52 had
been arrested "as a precaution".
Who are the protesters?
The
protests have disrupted life in large parts of Punjab in the past week.
The
protesters, numbering in their hundreds, are mostly from unorganized groups
although some radical Sikh organizations like the Damdami Taksal and Ajnala
faction have also been seen at demonstrations.
The
protesters are demanding that those they blame of desecrating the holy book are
arrested and compensation be paid to the families of the 2 men who were killed
in police firing.
In
some places, there have also been impulsive protests by normal Sikhs who say
they are fed up of eight-and-a-half years of misrule by the state government -
a alliance of the regional Shiromani Akali Dal and India's governing Bharatiya
Janata Party.
In
some districts, farmers - who had protested earlier this month accusing
the government of being anti-farmer - have also joined the protests.
Who is behind the desecration's?
Although
some Sikh lobby groups and protesters have accused "a spiritual faction"
of desecrating their holy book, the establishment says they are not sure who is
to blame.
Punjab
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said there was a "innate
conspiracy" to target religious places in the state by "some
anti-social elements".
He
has promised that anyone found responsible in "this indefensible offence
would not be spared at any cost and perfect action would be taken against them
so that it acts as prevention for others to indulge in such a dishonorable act
in future".
What are the systems
doing?
India's
Home Minister Rajnath Singh has promised Chief Minister Badal "all
possible help" to restore peace in the state.
The
Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, the opposition Congress party
and the Sikh clergy have all appealed for peace.
With
the protests showing no sign of dissipating, many are caution that arrange must
be restored quickly in a state which has a anxious past.
Although
Punjab has been peaceful for nearly two decades, the state was the scene of a aggressive
rebellion for an self-governing Sikh homeland in the 1980s and the 1990s.
In
1984 Indian security forces killed many Sikh militants after they seized the
Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sikh religion's most significant site.
In
revenge, Indira Gandhi, the then-prime minister, was shot dead by her Sikh
bodyguards.